Living Life

List 30 things that make you happy.

I love to live life to the fullest. So here are things that make me happy.

Spending quiet time with my husband.

Spending time with family and friends.

Traveling to new places.

Meeting new people from other cultures.

Swimming in the pool, ocean or lake.

Snorkeling and seeing colorful fish.

Getting hugs.

Holding babies.

Drinking coffee.

Walking early in the morning and listening to the birds.

Having a window seat on a plane and looking out.

Having coffee with friends.

Watching shows or plays.

Meditation and prayer.

Entering cathedrals in foreign countries and spending a few moments in quiet contemplation.

Eating lobster 🦞

Eating escargot

Trying out bakeries in foreign countries.

Laughing out loud!

Reading interesting books.

Planning once in a lifetime trips

Doing something for someone without letting them know.

Helping others.

Sitting and watching primates in their natural habitats.

Playing with puppies.

Playing with kitties.

Listening to good music.

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner for my family.

Getting a good night’s sleep

Writing

And endless possibilities. But doing things that touch my soul!

Karma

Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.

What goes around comes around. So I try to be kind always. Give an elderly or disabled person my seat. Help someone get something off a shelf in a supermarket. Smile at people. Lend an ear when someone needs to talk.

Am I always good at this? No! Sometimes I’m locked in my head with my own mess and can’t think of anyone else. I usually end up tripping over my own feet and then I realize I need to be kind and look out not in!

Getting Older but Wiser

How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?

I look in the mirror and I can see the wrinkles around my mouth and eyes. Even fine wrinkles on my cheeks. My neck gives my age away. Why does the neck sag so much?

But it’s all me. Nothing fake. No Botox. No snip and tuck. I plan to age as gracefully as possible.

I’m energetic. I move a lot. But I’m learning to get out of bed a little slower. Hold the railing down the stairs. Not run, just walk. And watch my feet.

My spirit is young. And I like to do crazy things. I always say I don’t want to die before I’m dead.

Flying

Was today typical?

This was yesterday. We flew from Heathrow to JFK. We had a connecting flight to Miami.

The plane was overbooked so they asked for volunteers to give up seats.

We did for $700 voucher each, food and car service. We spent the night at my best friends who I don’t see very often.

It turned out to be a great day!

A Little Village Called South Queensferry

How did it get its name? In the 11th century, Queen Margaret of Scotland married to King Malcolm III established a ferry for pilgrims to cross the Firth of Forth to go to St. Andrews. Now South Queensferry and North Queensferry can be reached by three bridges.

This second photo shows two bridges.

The orange cantilever bridge, the Forth Bridge, opened in 1890.

The Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964 and behind that is the Queensferry Crossing which opened for traffic in 2017.

It was a lovely tender ride from ship to shore. Most passengers head to Edinburgh by bus but we have spent some time there in the past. We decided to walk around South Queensferry.

We stopped to have some pastries and coffee.

We had the pleasure of sitting with an elderly gentleman who has lived in South Queensferry all his life. He shared about times before the newer bridges when the ferry still ran regularly. He said the town hasn’t changed much except the names of the stores.

We passed by an Episcopal Church but it wasn’t open.

The Jubilee Clock Tower with Roman numerals, looks down upon the quaint cobbled High Street from a height of 4 storeys. It was built in 1720, and then re-modelled & re-furbished in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s golden Jubilee in 1887/88. Once lit by gaslight, it has been lit by electricity since the 1920s.

Again some beautiful flowers. The hydrangeas are absolutely stunning.

We decided to have an ice cream on our way back to the tender.

South Queensferry is a quaint little town and it’s owed a visit just because the locals are so friendly. Heading back to the ship, time for a selfie.

Inchgarvie Island is a small island next to the Forth Bridge. There was once a castle on this site built in the 15th century. It was used as a prison and a place to house people with plague. It also served to protect the Firth of Forth and the bridge from air attack during WWII.

Some last moments in South Queensferry.

Our end of the day photo – 10:30 pm at night heading to Southampton.

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